CIVIC Festival 2026: Artist Residence Showing

CIVIC Festival: Artist in Residence Showing ⭐️

Shifting Centre proudly presents CIVIC Festival 2026. An exciting NEW addition to this year's programme was our Artist Residencies that we were privileged to offer to 3 incredible dance artists.

ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE:

MATTHEW FAGALOA (Artist Residency Recipient)

Matt Fagaloa is a self taught dancer from Wainuiomata. He has been dancing for 11 years, starting with local dance company, The Company NZ, and eventually finding hisway into the freestyle dance scene.

Previously serving under the banner of Prototype by Projekt Team under the likes of John Vaifale, Joshua Mitikulena and many others. Matt has gone on to collect a few wins in the battle space, such as: 

• First ever ‘Loose Change’ Qualifier Champion 

• First ever Christchurch ‘Loose Change’ Qualifier Champion

• HHU Freestyle National Senior Champion 

• Freestyle Future Battle Champion 

Matt has also been involved in ‘Survivor’, dance work by Daniel Nodder. Which featured in Wellington Fringe Festival 2022 - where Matt was nominated for the ‘Most Promising Pasifika Artist’ Award.

llampstands

art. motion. service.

llampstands is the intersection and meeting ground between two creative powerhouses, Sheldon Rua (Waikato/Tainui, Sapapali'i) and Ehetere Rua (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Cornwall).

With professional backgrounds in Street Dance, Youth Work and Mental Health, they are weaving their practices in mediums such as dance, poetry, painting, music and design - to generate work and creative offerings that speak to them and their communities.

As active members of Aotearoa’s street dance community, Sheldon and Ehetere have represented Aotearoa in some of the biggest Street Dance events in the world. Choreographing and dancing for Aotearoa Hip-Hop royalty such as Ladi6 and Tom Scott, and emerging into the local theatre and film communities. Their hope is that their work may be in service to us all as ‘a lamp unto your feet’.

ELLA WILLIAMS

Ella Williams is a professional dancer, born of Canadian, Trinidadian and Pakeha NZ descent, currently working in Te Whanganui a Tara. 

After gaining a Diploma in Dance, she has successfully managed to work as a full-time artist and hopes to continue to share her passion through dance. 

Ella is interested in exploring different worlds through dance and using dance as a way to create space for thought and change. For her, dance is a form of connection with community, a connection to the world through creating and performing as an act of liberation and a connection to her ancestors and history. 

Throughout her career she has worked with companies such as Andanca, Java Dance Theatre, Movement of The Human and Manubrium Circus. She has also worked on projects with Homeground since 2019. 

Notable works she has been a part of include, Show do Cafe (Andanca Company), Tōrua (Movement of The Human), Back of The Bus, Creamery, Home of The Gods (Java Dance Theatre) and many many more! 

In 2025, Ella co-created Gates to Memory, a duo dance work which premiered at Kia Mau Festival 2025.

COME AND EXPERIENCE THE WORLDS THESE ARTISTS HAVE BEEN TESTING THROUGHOUT THEIR RESIDENCY!

CIVIC Festival is proudly supported by Wellington City Council, Footnote New Zealand Dance & Audio Avenue

Shifting Centre are a Tangata Whenua & Tangata Moana artist collective and we acknowledge that we stand, live, create and exist on unceded lands of Indigenous Māori. We also acknowledge Te Ati Awa & Ngāti Toa as Mana Whenua of Pōneke.

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